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GRAND MARAIS, Minn. - The Cook County sheriff has asked the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate a prosecutor accused of pursuing an improper relationship with a teenage girl.

Sheriff Mark Falk tells the Duluth News Tribune it would be a conflict of interest for his department to investigate Cook County Attorney Tim Scannell. The prosecutor has been ordered by a judge to stay away from the 17-year-old girl and her parents. A judge found grounds to believe the 46-year-old Scannell harassed the girl by calling, following, pursuing or stalking her.

Scannell hasn't returned calls or messages from The Associated Press. In a statement Tuesday through his attorney, Scannell apologized for what he called a "personal situation" but said again he wouldn't quit.

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